benM

I'm not specifically looking for new, but the options around Wellington are very limited as we seem to have 0 shops around here and trademe is the only place I can look for setups. There are a few on there but they're either the wrong size or  out of my price range. The plan for now is to get a new setup and consider it to be a starting point. I'll definitely hook up some LED's in the end as I do a bit of electronics tinkering anyway and can wire those all up through a phone app to be controlled remotely, will probably set up a web cam as well but that's a different story I'll also be upgrading just about everything in the sump, and possibly the sump itself over time, hopefully with a lot of DIY stuff rather than store bought for the electronics but store bought for the rest.
I'm also thinking that I should get a couple of cheap powerheads to start myself out but I was planning on getting those at the same time as the fisah rather than during the cycle. Going on your comments about dead spots I guess I should get them earlier rather than later so that I don't have so much filth to content with down the line.
Just wondering, are there any places that stock marine equipment in Wellington? the closest places I can find that actually hold stock are in Auckland and I can't get the places down here to do price matching with them so I'm a bit stuck in the middle at the moment ...

I'm by no means an expert on tropical marine (still researching, yet to have my own setup) so others will jump in here probably and correct me  
With sand I think common practice is not to add it until the tank is fully established? I've seen a lot of barebottom set ups around too, so sometimes people don't add it at all. Re: live rock, the fastest way to start the cycle in your tank is to add some from another person yes, but you can always start it off just from scratch with dead coral rock, it just takes a lot longer and from what I heard works sort of like with freshwater, where you provide a food source on a regular basis. Apart from private aquarium owners other places to get live rock could be shops that have marine tanks, as I /think/ they sell some, so may be worth checking your local, although it can be worth starting the cycle from dead rock as occasionally live rock will pass along pest organisms --- apistasia or something, among other things-- that you wouldn't get otherwise. 
Sounds like a cool project, don't forget to post photos as it develops